Carved and painted wood santa claus Northeastern United States, late 19th century

Sotheby Parke-Bernet, October 26, 1985, lot 14

American Radiance: The Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum, p. 320, fig. 320

Paint appears to be intact with minor touch-ups.
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This stocky little Santa Claus presents a late-nineteenth-century image of the venerable character that can be compared with Samuel Robb's version of about 1923 (cat. no. 321). In the early nineteenth century, Santa Claus-or Saint Nicholas, as he was better known in New York at the time-was usually portrayed as a small, gnomelike figure rather than the rotund, jovial fellow of the present day. The modern conception of Santa Claus began to emerge in 1862, when Thomas Nast created the first of his famous Santa illustrations for Harper's Weekly. By the time he completed the series in 1886, his characterizations had captured the imagination of Americans to the extent that they more or less defined Santa's features for future generations.¹

In this case, Santa Claus is represented with both old and new features. His full face and long, flowing white beard fit Nast's model, while the proportions of his body in relation to the relatively large head recall earlier images. The fur-trimmed jacket and hat are traditional garments that persisted throughout the nineteenth century and are still familiar today, although the preferred cap style has changed somewhat over the years. The backpack, which is filled with candy canes and doll-like stick figures, is also an old element, more recently replaced by the well-known sack of gifts that he usually carries over his shoulder. His expressionless face, on the other hand, has never been typical. Instead of displaying Santa's legendary jolly demeanor, this figure has the solemn air of a religious icon. -R.S.

¹ Thomas Nast chronicled his work in his book Christmas Drawings for the Human Race (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1890). Since then, a number of books have been written about Santa Claus, although many are long on imagination and short on facts. Two good sources are William Walsh Shepard, The Story of Santa Klaus (1909; reprint, Detroit: Gale Research, 1970), and Teresa Chris, The Story of Santa Claus (London: Apple Press, 1992).